Starter for internal-combustion engines



Aug. 19 1924.

B. M.v LEECE STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Oct. 11 1917 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jfiwenton' @mfm @Z Zf Aug. 19, 1924. 1,505,153

B. M. LEECE STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Oct. 11. 1917 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jim amp? Patented Aug. 19, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENNETT M. LEECE, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO THE LEECE-N'EVILLE COM- PANY, 0'1? CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO,

STARTER FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed. October 11, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENNETT M. Lnnon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Guyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Starters for In ternal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descrip tion.

This invention relates to starters for internal combustion engines of vehicles, such as automobiles, boats and the like, and is an improvement over the construction disclosed in my prior Patent, No. 1,176,377, dated March 21, 1916, for gear shift for electric motors.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved magnetic or electric gear shift wherein the pinion or equivalent power transmitting element forming a part of the power transmitting means between the motor and engine is shifted electrically.

A further object is to provide for this purpose a pinion shifting magnet or solenoid which is so connected to the battery and motor, preferably in series with the armature of the motor, that the ampere turns of the solenoid are decreased as the speed of the armature increases, thus providing for the automatic disengagement of the pinion as soon as the engine is started. Additionally the invention aims to so connect the solenoid in the battery and motor circuit that when the solenoid is energized its core is given a strong direct pull which is substantially uniform throughout its stroke and eliminates the necessity for any intermediate levers or the like to increase the power of the stroke. Still further the invention aims to so connect the solenoid in the motor battery circuit as to attain the above mentioned objects, but without increasing the resistance of the motor circuit.

The above and other objects attained by my invention which will be briefly sum marized as consisting in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts which will be described in the specification and set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings wherein I have shown the preferred form of my invention, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the starting motor and electric or magnetic pinion shifting parts; Fig. 2 is a sectional view substan- Serial No. 196,059.

tially along the irregular line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an end view looking toward the left hand end of Fig. 1 with the end cover plate removed; and Fig. 4: is a diagrannnatic view showing the electrical connections.

The starter constituting the subject matter of this invention includes an electric motor which is designed to be connected to the crankshaft of the engine to turn over or start the same and afterthe latter is started and operating under its own power, to be automatically disconnected therefrom. In the preferred embodiment of my invention the power transmitting mechanism which is utilized to start the engine from the motor includes a motor driven pinion which is adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with a gear on the crankshaft of the engine, and the apparatus will be so described although it is to be understood that any other shiftable power transmitting element which is the mechanical equivalent of a pinion or gear maybe utilized.

The electric motor which is utilized through the power transmitting elements to start the engine is shown at 10. This motor may have any suitable construction, but as here shown it includes a laminated field member 1O having field coils 10 and an armature 10 j ournaled in bearings 10 in end members 10 and 1O of the motor housing; also a commutator 10 engaged by brushes 10 of a suitable brush rigging supported on the end member 1O of the housing. A t one end of the motor there is a compartment or housing 11 containing the principal parts of the apparatus which causes the mechanical engagement and disengagement of the motor and engine, this compartment being formed in part by the end member 1O which has an outwardly projecting chambered portion,

and in part by a removable cover 11. The armature shaft 1O of the motor has an tension projecting into this housing 11. and mounted on this extension there is a sliding pinion 12 which engages a sccond pinion 13 mounted and adapted to slide on the short stationary shaft 14 in the lower part of the housing and adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with a gear 15 of the engine, this gear being usually on the flywheel, and being generally termed the flywheel gear. The two mesh pinions 12 and 18 are adapted to be shifted back and forth on their respective shafts 10 and 14, the pinion 12 having shroud rings 15 which engage opposite sides of the pinion 13 so that as the pinion 12 is shifted in the manner herein described, it will move the pinion 13 with it.

For the purpose of shifting the pinion 12, and of course, the pinion 13, I provide a magnet in the form of a solenoid including a coil 16, a solenoid housing 17 and a horizontally movable core 18, this solenoid being at the upper part of the housing 11 with the axis of the core 18 above the axis of the motor armature shaft. The core has connected to it a downwardly extending shifting yoke 19 which engages the pinion 12 so that the core 18 and the pinions 12 and 13 will move as a unit inwardly toward the motor, or outwardly therefrom.

Connected also to the outer end of the core 18 is a movable switch member 20 carrying a switch blade 21 which when the solenoid has shifted the pinion 13 into full mesh with the fly-wheel gear 15, engages a pair of stationary contact members 22 which are mounted on an insulating support .3 within the housing just beyond the extension of the motor shaft, and thus short circuit a resistance 21 which likewise is within the housing 11 and cause the motor speed to increase, it'being desirable that the motor operate at relatively low speed until the pinion 13 is in full mesh with the flywheel gear and then at a higher speed. The movable switch contact 21 is yieldingly mounted on the holder or switch member 20, being pressed yieldingly inward by springs 25 (see Figs. 1 and 3), and adapted to yield outwardly when it engages the stationary contacts 22, the movable contact 21 having a guide pin 26 which guides the former while it is undergoin the yielding movement.

It wi I thus be seen from the above, that the solenoid through the magnetic pull created on the solenoid core shifts the pinion 13 into mesh with the fly-wheel gear. The parts are restored to normal position shown in Fig. 1, that is to say, the two pinions are moved in the reverse direction to break the mechanical connection between the motor and engine as soon as the engine is started, by coil springs 27, one of which is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and both being shown in section in Fig. 2, these springs surrounding stationary guide bolts 28 on which the pinion shifting yoke 19 is guided.

The character of the solenoid winding and the manner in which it and the resistance 24 are adapted to be connected in the motor battery circuit are illustrated in Fig. 4. By referring to this figure it will be seen that the motor and solenoid are adapted to be ener ized by current supplied from a storage attery 30 by the closure of a starting switchwhieh is-illustrated conventionally at 3.1 .It w ll b ob erved ha h fi ld Winding lO -is a series winding, and that-the coil 16 of the solenoid is in series with the armature and in parallel with the field winding 10 I prefer to wind the solenoid with a large number of turns of a comparatively fine winding so that the resistance of the path through the solenoid winding will be fairly high compared with the resistance of the path through the field winding, but nevertheless by providing the large number of turns in the solenoid winding a very strong magnetic field will be produced. In fact, I prefer at the start that the solenoid be over-saturated. In consequence when the starter switch is closed a strong magnetic pull will be exerted on the solenoid core, but at the same time suflicient current will pass through the field winding to cause the motor to start and run at slow speed until the re sistance 24 is out out of the field circuit, but with ample torque.

As the solenoid is moving inwardly, the

speed of the motor is increasing, and this through the lncrease of counter electromotive force, reduces the current passing through the solenoid coil, thus decreasing the ampere turns of the solenoid. This, therefore, gradually decreases the magnetic field of the solenoid, but as the core moves inwardly, the magnetic reluctance of the solenoid field is proportionately decreased with the result that there is a strong and substantially uniform pull exerted on the solenoid core throughout its stroke. as is desired.

lVhen the pinion 13 is in full mesh with the fly-wheel gear 15, the resistance 24: in the motor field circuit is short circuited, thus causing the motor speed to increase. This still further materially reduces the ampere turns of the solenoid, but as the core is now at the inner end of its stroke, or in position such that the reluctance of the magnetic path is at its minimum, the pull exerted on the core is sufficient to hold the pinion 13 in mesh with the fly-wheel gear until the engine is started and operating under its own power. However, as soon as this occurs, the motor is driven at such a high speed, and its counter electro-motive force becomes such that the solenoid field is so weakened. that the pinion 13 is immediately disengaged from the fly-wheel gear by the springs 27, even thougi the operator fails to open the starter switch when the engine is started. I am thus enabled to do away with the necessity of an over-running clutch between the pinion 12 and the armature shaft, which clutch was required in prior arrangements utilizing a solenoid so connected that its field was not weakened by the increase in motor speed due to the starting of the engine. It is to be noted also, that While I am enabled to obtain this last mentioned advantage, due to the series relationship of the motor armature and solenoid winding,

nevertheless, due to the parallel arrangement of the solenoid winding and motor field winding, this series relationship of the armature and solenoid winding does not result in an increase in resistance of the motor circuit.

I-Iaving described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a starter for internal combustion engines, an electric motor comprising an armature and a field member, the latter having a field winding, power transmitting mechanism for connecting the motor to the engine and including two power transmitting elements, one adapted to be shifted into and out of engagement with the other, a magnet for shifting said movable power transmittin element, said magnet having a winding which is energized from the time its circuit is closed until the motor is de-energized so that it may shift the movable power transmitting element and retain it in driving relationship with the other element while the engine is being cranked, said magnet winding being in series relationship with the motor armature and in parallel relationship with the motor field winding, a storage battery, and means for connecting the battery to the motor and to the magnet winding.

2. In a starter for internal combustion engines, an electric motor having an armature and a field winding, a power transmitting mechanism for connecting the motor to the engine and including a pair of power transmitting elements, one adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with the other, a magnet for shifting said movable power transmitting element, said magnet having a winding which for the full time that it and the motor are energized is in series with the armature and in parallel with the field Winding circuit of the motor.

3. In a starter for internal combustion engines, an electric motor having an armature and a series field winding, power transmitting mechanism for connecting the motor to the engine and comprising a pair of power transmitting elements, one of which is adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with the other, a magnet for shifting said movable power transmitting element and comprising a movable armature or core operatively connected to said element, and a single energizing winding in parallel with said series winding of the motor, a storage battery, and meansby which the battery may be connected to the motor, and to the magnet to energize the same, said magnet remaining energized until the motor circuit is opened.

4:. In a starter for internal combustion engines, an electric motor comprising an armature and a field winding, a movable power transmitting member adapted to be shifted to connect the motor to the engine, a magnet for shifting said element, said magnet comprising a movable member connected to said element and a winding which is in series with the motor armature and in parallel with the field winding circuit of the motor as long as said winding and motor are energized, and means controlled by the movable member of the magnet for automat ically increasing the motor speed when said power transmitting element has been shifted by the magnet.

5. In a starter for internal combustion engines, an electric motor comprising an armature and a series field winding, a movable power transmitting member adapted to be shifted to connect the motor to the engine, a magnet for shifting said element and comprising a movable member connected to said power transmitting element and a winding which is in series with the armature of the motor and in parallel with the series field winding circuit of the motor as long as it and the motor are energized, a resistance normally in the motor circuit, and means operated by said movable member of the magnet for rendering said resistance ineffective when said power transmitting element has been shifted by the magnet.

6. In a starter for internal combustion engines, an electric motor comprising an armature and a field winding, a movable power transmitting member adapted to be shifted to connect the motor to the engine, a magnet for shifting said element, said magnet comprising a movable member connected to said power transmitting element and a winding which is in series with the armature and in parallel with the circuit of the motor field winding as long as it and the motor are energized, a resistance normally in the motor circuit, and means operated by said movable member of the magnet for rendering said resistance ineffective when said power transmitting element has been shifted by the magnet.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto my signature.

BENNETT M. LEECE, 

